Cleaner testing apparatus and method



' 8- 1953 R. H. TIERS 2,648,220

CLEANER TESTING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed May 8, 1950 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 11, 1953 CLEANER TESTING APPARATUS AND METHOD Robert H. Tiers, Ambler, Pa., assignor to The Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 8, 1950, Serial No. 160,7 02

3 Claims.

This invention relates to the testing of cleaners and more particularly to apparatus and method for testing the eiiiciency of cleaning solutions. Both the method and apparatus of my present invention are especially well adapted for making comparative tests of different cleaners for solid objects to enable one to rapidly ascertain which is the preferred cleaner for the particular type of soil to be removed.

In testing solutions of cleaners, it is desirable that a rapid as well as a reliable test be obtained. It is well known that if a soiled article is moved rapidly relative to a cleaning solution in which it is immersed, the cleaning action of the solution will be more rapid than if the article is moved slowly or permitted to remain in the solution without any appreciable agitation.

It has heretofore been suggested, in testing materials for their resistance to abrasion, to attach samples of the material to a plate which is rapidly rotated in a liquid suspension of abrasive particles. However, when attempts are made to test the efficiency of cleaning solutions by rotating soiled plates in the cleaning solution, the results are unsatisfactory, it being difiicult to duplicate test results even though the soiled plates are rotated at constant speeds and the temperature of the solution tested is carefully controlled.

I believe that the non-uniformity of tests is primarily due to the fact that the cleaning solution tends to follow the rotary motion of the panel while the latter is rotated in the solution. As a result, the relative movement between the moving panel and the cleaning solution is not constant but varies with the amount of swirl imparted to the solution.

I have discovered that, if the main body of the solution surrounding the test plate is maintained in a substantially static state throughout the test while the test plate is rapidly rotated in the solution, reliable test results are obtained which results can be substantially duplicated. I am able to maintain a substantially static cleaner solution while, at the same time, rapidly rotating a test plate containing soil samples in the solution by means of the novel apparatus, hereinafter more fully described, which apparatus is a part of my present invention.

In describing the apparatus, reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is the soil applicator used for placing soil samples on the test plate;

Figure 2 is the test apparatus;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2, and;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the test plate.

Referring to the drawings, numeral l designates: a glass beaker or other container adapted to hold. a solution of the cleaner being tested. Placed in. the beaker I is a vertically extending battle 2 pro-- vided with a horizontally extending cut-away portion 3 in which the test panel 4 is adapted to be rotated. The test panel 4 is secured to the end of shaft 5 through any conventional means, such as screw threads 6 illustrated in Figure 4. The shaft 5 is rotated by means of an electric motor I supported by clamp 8, which in turn is supported by stand 9. The opening 3 in the baffle 2 is of such dimensions that it permits free rotation of the test plate 4, but at the same time permits the battle to come sufficiently close to the rotating plate to prevent any substantial amount of liquid following the rotary movement of the rotating test plate.

In order to obtain uniform tests, it is highly desirable that the test samples on the test plate are substantially the same, particularly where a number of cleaning solutions are being compared for their relative cleaning ability. I find that this can be accomplished quickly and efliciently through the use of the novel soil applicator illustrated in Figure 1.

When the cleaner is to be tested a solution is first prepared of the concentration at which the cleaner is intended to be used. This solution is placed in beaker I. A suitable soil is then prepared, the soil being somewhat similar to that for which the cleaner is to be used. The test plates are then prepared as follows: Soil container In, which is open at both the top and bottom, is partially filled with the prepared soil. The soil container is provided with legs I l, which are of substantially the same length as the depth of slots 12 provided in the soil applicator plate l3; thus when container I0 is in position on soil applicator plate I3, the bottom edge M of soil container It lies on surface 15 so as to prevent any substantial loss of soil from the container It). The soil applicator plate I3 is further provided with a transversely extending channel 16 which extends across the upper surface of the soil applicator plate and is adapted to contain the test plate 4 during the application of the soil. The channel I6 is so designed that when test plate 4 is in channel It the upper surface of the test plate 4 is flush with the bottom of channels I2. Thus, when the test plate 4 is in place, its upper surface supports the legs I l of soil container In as it is moved across channel [6. It is apparent from the drawing that the amount of soil deposited on the test 3 panel will always have a thickness equivalent to the depth of the channels l2 and will in each instance have a uniform surface area.

In order to prevent soil from being deposited in the opening l'l, adapted to contain the end of the shaft 5, a small indentation I8 is provided which is filled with a disc l9. After the soil has been deposited on the panel, the disc 19 can easily be removed by pushing any pointed object, such as a pencil, through opening II.

In order to satisfactorily test solutions by the use of my invention, it is necessary that all the soil constituents produce a solid soil. The solids are made to flow by addition of a suitable solvent such as carbon tetrachloride. This flowability is desirable so as to permit the application of the soil to the test plates by the applicator as above described.

The following two soil compositions have been found to be very satisfactory in testing most metal cleaners:

Soil #1 Per cent Atlantic lubricant #64 27.4 Esso motor oil 16.2 Hymag asbestos (150 mesh) 30.5 Charcoal bone powder 15.2 Indusoil .5 Ceresin wax 10.2

To every 100 grams of above soil add 34 cc. of C014.

Soil #2 Per cent Atlantic motor grease #3 (lime base cup grease) 20.4 Tarvia XC Barrett division (coal tar) 20.4 Esso motor oil 20.4 Hymag asbestos (150 mesh) 20.4 Charcoal bone powder 12.3 Paraffin 6.1

To every 100 grams of above soil add 40 cc. of carbon tetrachloride or other suitable solvent which can be removed by evaporation.

In testing cleaners according to my invention, the test plates are first prepared as above described and then attached to shaft 5. Bafile 2 and shaft 5 with attached test plate 4 carrying soil 20 are then assembled in such position in the container I that the baffle and shaft lie in the same vertical plane and the plate is free to rotate within the opening 3 of the bafiie. The motor I should preferably have a constant R. P. M. if satisfactory results are to be obtained. After rotating the panel for a specified period of time, preferably from 1 to 3 minutes, the panel is removed, rinsed, and placed in an oven and dried.

In order to determine the efficiency of a cleaner, the test plate is weighed before being immersed in the cleaning solution and then again after the test has been conducted and the test plate dried. The efficiency of the cleaner is determined through the use of the formula '4 in which W1 is the initial weight of the test plate plus the soil, Wp is the weight of the test plate without the soil, and W2 is the weight of the test plate and soil after rotation in the cleaner and drying.

In presenting my invention, I have described and illustrated the particular type of apparatus which I prefer. However, the invention should not be limited to the specific apparatus shown, since it is obvious that in the light of my disclosure various designs may be employed, wherein a test plate containing a soil sample is rotated in a cleaning solution provided with means to limit rotary movement of the cleaning solution being tested, preferably by fixing the zone in which solution is free to rotate in response to the rotation of the test plate. The invention should, therefore, not be limited to the specific illustration employed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of determining the efficiency of cleaning solutions comprising placing a sample of soil on a test plate, weighing the test plate With said soil, rapidly rotating said test plate in said solution for a predetermined length of time while preventing any substantial rotation of said solution and thereafter drying said test plate and weighing the same to determine the amount of soil removed by said cleaner.

2. The method of determining the cleaning efficiencies of metal cleaners comprising preparing a solution of the cleaner being tested, preparing a solid soil sample containing a volatile solvent, depositing said soil on a test plate, evaporating off said solvent, Weighing said test plate and soil after removal of said solvent, rapidly rotating said test plate with said soil sample in said solution for a predetermined length of time while preventing any substantial rotation of said solution, removing said test plate from said solution and thereafter drying and weighing said test plate to determine the amount of soil removed.

3. In an apparatus for testing the efiiciency of cleaning solutions, a container for said solutions, a test plate adapted to contain soil samples, a shaft adapted to be secured to said test plate and to have a portion thereof together with said test plate immersed in said solution, means for rotating said shaft and test plate and a vertically extending baffle positioned within said container, said bafile lying in the same plane as said shaft and extending along both sides of the portion of said shaft adapted to be immersed in said solution, around said test plate and substantially to the sides and bottom of said container.

ROBERT H. TIERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,444,803 Ratner et a1 Feb. 13, 1923 1,942,920 Fawkes Jan. 9, 1934 2,141,713 Hensler et a1. Dec. 27, 1938 2,519,323 Shank et al Aug. 15, 1950 

